It has been over well three years since Daniel Craig’s hung up his tux after starring in his final James Bond film, ‘No Time To Die’.
Since then there has been feverish speculation over who will succeed him in one of the world’s biggest film franchaises.
A succession of big names have seemed to be in poll position to follow in the footsteps of Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan.
In 2024 it was reported that Kickass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson had accepted the job, but it now seems that this was far from accurate.
And there is now further doubt about the recuitment process after Barbara Broccoli and her half brother Michael G. Wilson, who have effectively previously handpicked the actors to play the character since the 1990s, signed over ‘full creative control’ to Amazon MGM Studios.
Here are the latest 15 actors currently tipped to pull on 007’s tuxedo.
1. Paddy Gibson - 15/8
The new shock favourite to play James Bond is the relatively unknown Irish actor Paddy Gibson. Technically, he's already played the British superspy - in computer game '007 First Light', which will be out next year. He's also starred as a young Dexter Morgan in the serial killer prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin'. He's priced at 15/8. | Contributed
2. Aaron Taylor-Johnson - 5/2
Aaron Taylor-Johnson had previously been favourite to become the next Bond for months, following news reports that he had agreed to play the iconic role. There's been silence since though, and the lack of an official announcement has cast doubt on his involvement - particularly since Amazon took over creative control of the franchaise. Best known for playing the title character in the 'Kick-Ass' films, Taylor-Johnson also starred opposite Brad Pitt in 'Bullet Train' and is soon to be seen in horror sequel '28 Years Later'. He's now back up to second favourite at 5/2 to step into 007's shoes. | Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
3. Theo James - 10/3
A relatively recent tip to play 007, Divergent series star Theo James' name hadn't been mentioned until a few months ago. Recently in cinemas starring in horror film 'The Monkey', he's now 10/3 third favourite. He's drifted out in recent months though, having been a lowly priced as 2/1 at one point. Critically acclaimed for his performance in the television series 'The White Lotu's, he also recently played the lead role in Guy Ritchie's action comedy series 'The Gentlemen'. | Getty Images
4. Henry Cavill - 6/1
'Superman' and 'The Witcher' star Henry Cavill had been favourite to be the next Bond when Daniel Craig hung up his tux but had seen his odds slip. He's still in the hunt though, with odds of 6/1. He's no stranger to playing iconic British characters - he portrays Sherlock Holmes in the 'Enola Holmes' films. | Getty Images for AFI